( seriously this is such a joke coming from Dion , they should be sitting down in a meeting talking to Trump instead of wasting there time meeting with the outgoing administration , what economic levers ? are they going to use to try and change trump's mind on the climate change file ? seriously dion is such a joke its not even funny )

Dion: We'll use economic levers to push Trump on climate change

Foreign Affairs minister says relations with incoming president not undermined by Biden’s visit

Mike Blanchfield — Canadian Press

Thursday, December 8th, 2016

Canada will push the incoming Trump administration to be an ally in the fight against climate change and that’s not undermined by hosting U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, says Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion.

“We were able to agree with a lot of initiatives with the current administration, the Obama one. We will work with the Trump administration,” Dion told The Canadian Press in an interview from Hamburg, Germany on Thursday.

Dion spoke as Biden was about to touch down in Ottawa, where is to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before addressing provincial premiers and aboriginal leaders at a Friday summit.

“We will try to convince the Trump administration to go ahead in the fight against climate change and avoid greenhouse gas emissions,” Dion said.

“We have a lot of clean energy to sell … to our American friends, and we’ll make it very clear that it’s the way to go.”

Canada and the U.S. have been strong climate change allies in the last year, with Trudeau earning praise from Barack Obama for his role in helping negotiate the Paris accord to lower greenhouse gases last year.

Trump has said he would cancel the Paris accord, calling human-made climate a hoax. Two days before his election victory last month, Trump Tweeted that “global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”

Trunp has appointed Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt — an opponent of Obama’s climate change policies — to be the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The EPA is an admirable institution, very effective, a source of inspiration for Canada,” Dion said.

Dion made it clear that Canada will try to make a business case for the environment to engage the billionaire, deal-making businessman who will soon occupy the White House.

“A point we will make is how much the environment and the economy are going together now,” Dion said. “We have to think about jobs when we fight climate change.

“It’s a point we’ll make with the new U.S. administration. It’s a way to engage them.”

Hosting Biden doesn’t run counter to that aim, Dion said, because it will help Canada bridge the transition between the two administrations.

“We need to speak with the vice-president. There is no concern.”

But one Canadian aboriginal leader said Biden is wasting his time by coming to the Friday meeting.

“Clearly we know that the U.S. government just went through an election and Joe Biden is essentially a lame duck,” said Isadore Day, Ontario regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations and the organization’s co-chair on the climate change file.

Green party Leader Elizabeth May said the visit gives Biden and Trudeau a chance to send positive signals to Trump on climate change.

In an interview, she said she hoped they “leave an opening for Donald Trump to recant his worst statements and actually think things through and come get to know Canada, and be welcome in a country that has a significant relationship of benefit to both economies.”

Trudeau’s spokeswoman Kate Purchase said no specific announcements will from the prime minister’s meeting with Biden. “Rather it’s an opportunity to show the historically unique relationship between our two countries.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden arrive at a state dinner on in Ottawa, on Dec. 8, 2016.
Photographer: Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP Photo

The world will look to Germany and Canada for leadership as the political status-quo is upended across the West, Vice-President Joe Biden said.

Visiting Ottawa before he leaves office, the vice-president called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau -- who is beginning his second year in power -- to set an example on the international stage.

“I’ve never seen Europe engaged in as much self-doubt,” Biden said Thursday evening at a dinner hosted by Trudeau. “The world’s going to spend a lot of time looking to you, prime minister, as we see more and more challenges to the liberal international order since the end of World War II -- you and Angela Merkel.”

Trudeau is an avowed feminist pushing a pro-trade and pro-immigration agenda that is at odds with the rhetoric of President-elect Donald Trump. However, the prime minister has largely avoided criticizing him, saying he will work with any U.S. leader.

Biden will meet with Canadian premiers on Friday as they prepare to negotiate a national climate accord with Trudeau. The vice-president called climate change the “most consequential issue of our generation,” and ended his remarks with a toast of “viva Canada.”

Trade, Climate

The bilateral meeting comes as Trudeau’s government prepares for the arrival of Trump, who has both threatened to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and raised hopes for reviving TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline proposal. Canada and the U.S. are also facing trade battles over softwood lumber and drywall.

Climate issues could be another source of friction. Trudeau is speeding up Canada’s phase-out of coal power and putting a national price on carbon emissions. Trump, meanwhile, is looking to overhaul the Energy Department, has threatened to pull the U.S. of the Paris climate accord and has chosen an outspoken critic of the Environmental Protection Agency to lead it.

Both Trudeau and Biden praised the Canada-U.S. relationship, with the vice-president calling it “absolutely critical” and saying the vast majority of Americans consider Canada to be family. Trudeau made no direct reference to Trump, though cited “all the cycles of political seasons” in his remarks.

“We do very well in all conditions and this friendship endures through whatever situations we encounter,” the prime minister said. “It’s a special friendship, one that is unique on the world stage

If Dion is being fairly reported on, his statements are (at least) borderline delusional.

What economic pressure do we have available to us?

This shows how out of step this government is with world currents. Admittedly, we are at a turnaround moment, the moment where Democrat policy have been rejected by the Americans, and now they are turning to solving their problems. rather than just patching things up and keeping things going until the end of the term.

Do Dion, Butts, and Trudeau actually believe that they can force the Trump administration back into Obama-ism on the climate? Just so you know, when Obama came to power, he appointed worthy zealots to the EPA, expanded its mandate, and publicly bragged about his intention to close down the coal industry. Trump has appointed one of the most earnest critics of this juggernaut to head the agency. Heads are exploding.

Trump is dedicated to removing unnecessary regulations, and the EPA seems like a likely target.

Canada should be realistic. (It's such a shame that we didn't have Harper to handle the new relationship.) We should slow down on the carbon tax, just as an example. But we won't, don't worry about that. Kathleen Wynne's government is licking their lips because the revenues will soon be rolling in.

That is more as a percentage than they were getting from OPEC when the 1973 embargo struck, and they (US) were producing twice as much oil domestically in the 70s that they are today.

The US dependency on Canada for Oil imports is one of the reasons I suspect that their Government will not be overly eager to walk away from NAFTA but if they do assure a Free Trade Agreement with us is still in place.

When I think of a tough hardnosed Canadian Politician who can garner respect on the international stage I immediately think Stephane Dion.

I'm surprised Dion hasn't been offered a post at the UN or an ambassador position somewhere by now

just as having a former leader like Tim Hudak as an mpp was counterproductive for Patrick Brown . you could say the same for Dion , its difficult to have a former leader sitting in the front benches , I don't see why trudeau needs Dion either ? now that the liberals are in power

If Dion is being fairly reported on, his statements are (at least) borderline delusional.

What economic pressure do we have available to us?

This shows how out of step this government is with world currents. Admittedly, we are at a turnaround moment, the moment where Democrat policy have been rejected by the Americans, and now they are turning to solving their problems. rather than just patching things up and keeping things going until the end of the term.

Do Dion, Butts, and Trudeau actually believe that they can force the Trump administration back into Obama-ism on the climate? Just so you know, when Obama came to power, he appointed worthy zealots to the EPA, expanded its mandate, and publicly bragged about his intention to close down the coal industry. Trump has appointed one of the most earnest critics of this juggernaut to head the agency. Heads are exploding.

Trump is dedicated to removing unnecessary regulations, and the EPA seems like a likely target.

Canada should be realistic. (It's such a shame that we didn't have Harper to handle the new relationship.) We should slow down on the carbon tax, just as an example. But we won't, don't worry about that. Kathleen Wynne's government is licking their lips because the revenues will soon be rolling in.

from reading any of the articles on this , from what I've seen this is Dion's position .

the liberals are also meeting with Vice President Joe Biden today , which by itself is rather odd , especially when considering he just recently said he might run for president in 2020 . so its like there meeting with trump's opponent instead of meeting with people from the trump administration

I can't see how that could possibly be in Canada's best interests , there is little political risk for the liberals to be seen as close to the democrats but considering trump is going to be president for the next 4 years its a bizarre position to take

its like trudeau is living in the past and not ready to accept the fact Obama is leaving office in a matter of weeks

The world — including the United States — is heading inexorably in the direction of reducing greenhouse gases, even if it isn’t a priority for president-elect Donald Trump, says Vice-President Joe Biden.

“Reality is intruding,” Biden said Friday in Ottawa as he sat around a table with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, provincial and territorial premiers and indigenous leaders gathered for a first ministers meeting on climate change.

“Whatever uncertainty exists around the near-term policy choices of the next president, I am absolutely confident the United States will continue making progress in its path to a low-carbon future.”

That’s because many of the trends towards more clean energy and fewer carbon emissions have taken hold and are no longer dependent on government initiatives, Biden said.

“They’re market-driven. They’re common sense.”

Biden also said he was “excited” to be meeting with the provincial and territorial premiers on this issue, because in the U.S., it has sometimes been the states that have led the way.

“Sometimes the federal (government) and then sometimes the states take turns being the innovators,” Biden said.

That’s another reason why, no matter what the next U.S. government decides to do, there will continue to be voices — in cities, states, civil society and other communities across the country — pushing for, and taking, stronger action on climate change, he argued.

“Regardless of whether the next administration is as aggressive as we have been, there’s no way to turn back — I’m not suggesting they intend to — but there’s no way to turn back this tide that has begun to roll,” he said.

“The question is time. Time is of the essence. There are plenty of reasons to be hopeful, but no reason to be anything other than feeling an overwhelming sense of urgency.”

It matters a lot how quickly things happen, he added.

Earlier in the day, Biden — who was in Ottawa on Thursday night for a state dinner with Trudeau and the other leaders — arrived on Parliament Hill for a bilateral meeting with the prime minister.

With downtown Ottawa traffic snarled for security purposes, Biden’s motorcade pulled up to the front door of the Centre Block, where Trudeau braved frigid temperatures to greet him.

Biden shook hands with dignitaries before signing a guest book and walking down the Hall of Honour with the prime minister.

Once seated, they exchanged pleasantries — both leaders singing the praises of each other’s countries and the Canada-U.S. relationship.

“It’s a continuation of what is a long and deep friendship between our two countries,” Trudeau said.

“We have incredibly strong economic, commercial, person-to-person (and) cultural ties that continue and it’s just always great to be able to welcome you here.”

Biden acknowledged in kind the unique nature of the relationship.

“Americans kind of view it as family — not just allies, not just friends, not just our largest trading partner, but the values are the same,” he said.

“You can’t go anywhere in America and find anyone who will say anything other than positive things about the relationship with Canada.”

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